


The Legend of Tamiko's Curse

by Brilan_Mosyn



Series: West of the River [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Bad Ending, Beta'd, But also, Curses, Depends on how you look at it, Edited, Gen, Kinda, Major character death - Freeform, Or are they blessings?, Orginal Characters, Prequel, Referenced murder, Scary tags, Self-Sacrifice, no canon character deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27433981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brilan_Mosyn/pseuds/Brilan_Mosyn
Summary: The story that started it all. How Daishou Tamiko saved her people and condemned her blood.
Relationships: No canon relationships
Series: West of the River [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976335
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	The Legend of Tamiko's Curse

**Author's Note:**

> This was kinda fun to write. It's a prequel from many, many, many generations before Sunshine and a Blue Castle Prince's era. Can be read as a stand alone but best if you read the main fic first.
> 
> Thank you to Yun and an internet friend for the input and beta.

_ The dragon-child records remember: _

Three centuries into the rule of Queen Daishou Tamiko, the White Snake of Nohebi, found herself ruling in a time of plague and decay. Year after year, decade after decade, the land and people of Nohebi fell into a steep decline, but no matter hard they tried, no one could find a solution.

One day, Daishou Shuichi, Tamiko’s eldest son came to her with an unthinkable solution.

“I want to sacrifice the blood of some of our peasantry to banish the decay.”

Even as her heart sank, Tamiko keeps her face schooled into a careful neutrality. “What makes you think this is a good idea?”

“Nothing else has worked. The peasantry is useless anyway. Do you know how many filthy beggars are on the streets? At least they’ll serve a purpose this way.”

_ I have failed, Takahiro. _

_ No. I don’t believe the failure is yours alone. His Light is doing a terrible job of balancing him out. _

Tamiko shut her eyes. A couple deep breaths gave her an added measure of outwardly calm.

“I have failed you, Shuichi. Failed to teach you morality and the ways of the dragons. Even so, to think you would come to me with such an idea. You are absolutely forbidden to act on this idea. It has consequences that seem to be beyond your comprehension.”

“Don’t talk like you know any more!”

“Please, Shuichi-kun. Blood magic is a corruptive magic. Far beyond what the dragons will sanction.”

“All this talk of dragons hasn’t helped us.”

“No, it hasn’t. However, blood magic will only make it worse.”

Shuichi glared at his mother, drawing a heavy sigh out of his mother. 

Tamiko opened her eyes, leveling an unyielding gaze on the young man. “Leave my sight until you have come to your senses. I am ashamed to have you as my son.”

Shuichi left the room, leaving his mother to her thoughts.

_ Don’t bother trying to reason with him. _

_ “Hiro? _

_ I must amend what I said about his Light. It’s not her fault he is like this. _

_ What are you saying? _

_ Your son took a ‘better ask forgiveness than permission route. He’s been killing beggars for several years. Ayame is already half dead. _

_ I have been lax in my responsibilities as a mother. Do you remember my plan? _

_ The one you had to wait for Shuichi to find his mate before putting into place? _

_ Yes. I have to amend the spell, but I no longer have a choice. I just pray that all I am is enough. _

Tamiko beckoned to one of her handmaidens. “Shimizu-kun.”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Bring my mother’s heartbox to my room. It seems I need the gifts of the dragon-children.”

“Of course, Tamiko-sama.”

The White Snake of Nohebi rose, standing tall despite the centuries of life that weighed heavy upon her shoulders.

The stone halls in the castle often felt cold to the woman, but never so cold as it did that night. 

Tamiko entered her room, leaving the door open behind her.

Shimizu greeted her with a low bow. “The heartbox, Your Majesty.”

Thank you my friend. You are released from service. Return to the neutral territory at once. You will be safe and happy ”

“What are you doing?”

“Doing what must be done.”

“Yes ma’am. Good luck.”

Shimizu bowed and exited the room.

“Takahiro,” Tamiko said to her Light, sinking to her knees beside the small box.

_ Will you need me? _

“No. This magic is a curse, a blessing, and a saving grace. It will take all of me and likely more to stop my son and his son and his son’s son. But the magic will come from my body.

Tamiko let her head fall into her open palms, her next word containing the pain of centuries. “Blood magic corrupts, ‘Hiro. It corrupts generation after generation until a family is but a shadow of its former self. In the case of a royal family, it kills the land too. I should have seen it when the diseases of land and people started to worsen so suddenly.”

_ You might be the most powerful woman on the meet council, but you can’t be omniscient. _

Tamiko opened her mother’s heartbox, her birthright as the daughter of a minor dragon-child priestess.

Upon opening the box, the snake queen was bathed in bright, white light. It infuses her with just enough dragon-child magic for her intended use.”

“Honored Dragons, please forgive me for this use of your magic.”

Tamiko stood and moved to the window, where the setting sun dyed her land a bloody red.  _ Fitting _ , she thought.  _ Fitting for the end of an era. _

“I, Daishou Tamiko dragon-child and Nohebi’s White Snake Queen cast a threefold spell.

“First, to protect the land. Let the land barely change from year to year, never blooming and never decaying, never to fully succumb to the effects of unnatural magic. In addition, a shield shall line our borders, where no unmated foreigner can enter. Only the snakes may go back and forth.When the time comes, this shield may be dispelled by three unique phantom spells, by six different mages. In lieu of true mates, let there be pseudo-mates from the Noheban land to fulfill that bond. Of course, if by some chance a pair of true mates meet, that bond will never be broken. 

“Second, a curse and a blessing for my descendants. For every generation called to blood magic, let the price not be the declining health of each consecutive generation. Instead, let each drop of blood spilled bring insanity and eventually an early death to each member of the Daishou Royal family. Their insanity is their choice. My stipulation, to leave Nohebi and shun the ties to our land is to shed the madness. Let the loss of insanity be the price required to execute the first part of the spell.

“Lastly, at the cost of my own life, I cast a spell on the weave of the world. One day, many generations from now, a child with light magic will be born to one of my blood and the blood of at least one foreign royal line, one born and raised far from this sickly land. They will find their mate, take the throne, and my curse will break. The madness will fade, true mates will once again be found, and the land will at long last find healing.

“Dragons record this curse and take my life and magic as the payment due. Good luck, my dear snakes.”

A blinding light flashed, a bright beam seen as far away as the Eyrie. When it faded, Tamiko’s body fell to the floor, devoid of all life.

The weakened voice of Takahiro echoed in the darkness.  _ I will forgo returning to my unbound brethren. Instead, I will see Tamiko’s spell to its end. Only then will I take another mage. It’s the least I can do for Tamiko. _

_ Very well, Takahiro. We approve. You and Tamiko have done well. _

From then on the Daishou Royal family fell into madness, consumed by the blood magic that first ensnared Daishou Shuichi. That is, until one day, a Daishou princess and a Bokuto prince ran, paving the way for Tamiko’s prophesied king.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's that. Tamiko was a badass. A total badass.
> 
> Please pardon and tense errors. This was the first past tense work I've done in a year or more. So I may not have found all the tense mistakes.
> 
> Thank you for reading. I can be found on the [Haikyuu Haven](https://discord.com/invite/qpPHkdw) discord server.


End file.
